Lady Donovan Phones Frank, Part III
by ucferrarisgirl
Summary: Frank phones his Lady this time...but it's not what you think!


Lady Donovan Phones Frank, Part III  
  
Scene: The Donovan Master Suite, which comprises the entire third floor of their new home  
  
**************************  
(landline phone calls cell phone...)  
  
"Darling,"  
  
"I'm here."  
  
"Did you enjoy dinner?"  
  
"I dined alone, without you, and the dinner wasn't so hot without you across from me."  
  
"You're back in the train's cabin?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What are you wearing?" (low sultry voice)  
  
"What I had on this...ohhhhh. I understand. (pause pause pause). What are you wearing?"  
  
"Take a guess."   
  
"Mmmmmmm. Did you use the scented gel I bought you?"  
  
"Yes. The Biotherm. It was nice, but I prefer the Burberry scent. Musk makes you wild for me."  
  
"That I know."  
  
"You on the bed?"  
  
"On the chaise, actually."  
  
"The one by the window?"  
  
"That is correct, my Lady. The kids called before they went to bed."  
  
"Do they miss me?"  
  
"Yes they do."  
  
"Why didn't they call my cell phone?"  
  
"Largely because of the long distance charges to the Wenners."  
  
"Ohhh. Gotta get them a phone card."  
  
"Not a bad idea."  
  
"Do you miss me?"  
  
"Bunches."  
  
"As do I. Did you work off the caffeine in the coffee you drank?"  
  
(Chuckles softly). "Actually, my Lady, I bought the decaffeinated coffee."  
  
"You scamp!"   
  
(low sultry voice) "Give me another nick."  
  
"Stud?"  
  
"Stud?! A common nick. (low sultry voice) Give me another nick."  
  
"Champ?"  
  
"Champ?"  
  
"Sweetie?"  
  
"Cutie."  
  
"Darling."  
  
"Honey."  
  
(sound of metal crunching on Frank's end)  
  
"Call you back." Frank hangs up, then dials 911 and leaves the landline phone on the line so the 911 operator will trace the call. He bolts through the bedroom door, down the stairs and out the front door.   
  
He sees two cars, one of which has wrapped itself around the tree in the front yard. He sees two bodies on the ground. Kneeling, he automatically checks the pulse of the teenager closest to him and finds no pulse, because while the body is on its stomach, the head is face up--the neck is broken.   
  
Frank looks at the other teenager's body lying a few feet away from the boy. He knows she's dead because she has been decapitated in the impact.   
  
"Are they? Uh, are they, uh...." a male voice asks.  
  
Frank looks up, then stands up. He takes the teenage boy and leads him into the house.   
  
Sitting the teenager down, Frank says, "Yes. They're both dead."  
  
The teenager pales, and starts trembling.   
  
"What were you teenagers doing? Were you dragging?"  
  
"They, uh, my girlfriend, wanted to drive Tony's car."  
  
"How old was she?"  
  
"Eighteen."  
  
"Eighteen," Frank repeats.  
  
"Yes. Tony just bought his car with his gambling winnings."  
  
"Gambling?"  
  
The young man looks shaken. "Uh, we went to Canada."  
  
"And?"  
  
"And we gambled."  
  
"Are you eighteen?"  
  
"Nineteen."  
  
"Tony is eighteen or nineteen?"  
  
"Nineteen."  
  
"When did you go to Canada?"  
  
"Last weekend. We went to Montreal. Tony won two hundred thousand dollars. Then he bought the Ferrari used."  
  
"Canadian dollars or American dollars?"  
  
"American dollars."  
  
"Were you drinking?"  
  
"No. I'm Mormon."  
  
"Was Tony or..." Frank trails off.  
  
"Chanteuse."  
  
"Was Tony or Chanteuse drinking?"  
  
"Um..."  
  
"I'm FBI, Mister...."  
  
The young man looks scared. "Gerald."  
  
"Gerald." Frank looks at Gerald. Gerald knows what Frank wants.  
  
"Gerald Michael Donovan."  
  
"Frank Donovan, FBI."  
  
"You've got my last name."  
  
"Appears so. Was Tony or Chauteuse drinking? They're dead, I will remind you."  
  
Gerald looks guilty. "Yeah," he admits. "Chanteuse is uh was a bit of a wild girl. My parents don't like her but yeah, she drinks--drank."  
  
"What was she drinking?"   
  
"Beer."  
  
"How many beers?"  
  
"Three."  
  
"And you let her get behind the wheel of a car?"  
  
Gerald gets hot. "She said she wanted to ride in the Ferrari so I let her. I pulled ahead, and next thing I know, Chanteuse drives up behind me really fast and yells out the window." Gerald falls silent and hangs his head.   
  
Frank puts his hand under Gerald's chin and lifts it up. Gerald is crying.  
  
"Gerald," he says softly.  
  
"She, she," Gerald's voice breaks. "She, uh, she yelled through the window that she was going to drive for a while. I told her to stop the car, that I'd drive her if she wanted."  
  
"And she tried to pull ahead of you and lost control of the car."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Who gave her the beer?"  
  
Gerald looks to the side. "Some guy."  
  
"What guy?"  
  
"I don't want to get him into trouble."  
  
Frank looks stern. "Remember, I'm FBI."   
  
"The clerk at the Fast Mart down on Oak. He used to be a boyfriend of Chanteuse's."  
  
"Boyfriend? How old is he?"  
  
"23."  
  
"Were you at the Fast Mart when she bought the beer?"  
  
"Yes. I tried to stop her. I'm Mormon. I don't drink."  
  
Frank changes subjects. "And what was Tony doing?"  
  
"He was uh," Gerald looks sheepish.  
  
"I already saw the joint on the ground."  
  
Gerald turns his head, trying to avoid Frank's eyes. Frank puts his fingers under Gerald's chin and turns Gerald's head towards him. "Did you know Tony smoked pot?"  
  
"Yeah. But I thought he didn't have any on him."  
  
"And why is that?"  
  
"We just came from church."  
  
"That doesn't stop someone from carrying pot."  
  
"He was always smoking pot. I kept trying to get him to stop smoking pot, telling him it would mess up his mind."  
  
"You were right to try and stop him."  
  
"I feel so guilty. If only I'd done more, if only I hadn't let Chanteuse ride in Tony's car." Gerald sniffs. "I knew Tony smoked pot. I should have known Chanteuse would want to drive the Ferrari. She's always wanted a boyfriend with a nice car. As you can see..." Gerald's voice trails off  
  
"You have nothing to be ashamed of," Frank says softly. "You tried to help a friend who didn't want to be helped. You weren't at fault," Frank says softly. He released Gerald's chin and Gerald's head hangs down.  
  
Frank puts his hand on Gerald's shoulder. Sirens in the background tell Frank the 911 operator has traced the call and has dispatched ambulances and police.  
  
"Stay here," Frank says to Gerald. Gerald nodded his head. Frank walks to the front door and steps outside. On the other side of the street, a small crowd has gathered. Someone is taking pictures.  
  
Frank walks over to the impromptu photographer. "Put that away," he says softly.   
  
"Hey, it's public information, mister," the man with the disposable camera replied.  
  
Frank smiles cynically. "Not when it's FBI," he says and takes the camera from the man's hand. Dropping it onto the ground, he crushes it with his heel, glares at the man, then spins on that same heel and walks back to the wreckage of the Ferrari. The man is spluttering.   
  
"Did you see what he did? He smashed my camera! I'm gonna tell the police. That's destruction of property!"   
  
Frank ignored the rantings of the man. He'd have to arrange for his kids to remain at the Wenner's until shabbat services began at sundown. Frank didn't want his kids to see where the two teenagers died. The Ferrari was literally wrapped around the maple tree.   
  
Frank hears a car pulling up and footsteps behind him. He turns around.  
  
"Agent Donovan."  
  
"Officer Manchester."  
  
The man who was taking pictures came over. "Hey, this man broke my camera!"   
  
Officer Manchester looks at the man, then nods towards Frank. "May I introduce Special Agent Frank Donovan, FBI. This is his property."  
  
Seeing the two bodies, Officer Manchester pulls out his radio and calls for a second ambulance while the man pales, and tells Frank: "I, uh, I, erm, didn't know. Hey, man, I'm sorry. Right? Sorry." He backs away. Frank is gazing at him steadily. The man turns then walks back across the street to join the rest of the onlookers.   
  
The red lights of the ambulance highlighted Frank's face. The paramedics jumped out and Frank said, "you'll need body bags," before the paramedics could get out resuscitation equipment.  
  
"Uh," the paramedics are shocked.   
  
"Two bags," Frank says. "You two are fairly new, aren't you?" he asks them. The paramedics nod. "The teenage girl is decapitated and the teenage boy's neck is broken."  
  
The two paramedics swallow hard and look at each other as they pull two body bags out of the ambulance. They walk around the wreckage and then stop. One turns and throws up.  
  
"You can put blankets over them," Officer Manchester tells them. "You talk to the other drivers?"  
  
Frank nods. "Yes. Gerald's inside my house. The girl drank three beers."  
  
"And the boy was trying to roll a joint," Officer Manchester says, looking at the ground next to Tony's body.  
  
"Yes. Gerald told me Tony just bought the Ferrari."  
  
"Joy riding."  
  
"Yes."   
  
Officer Manchester shakes his head. He looks at Frank, who nods at him. Officer Manchester goes into Frank's house to interview Gerald. Frank follows him.   
  
Twenty minutes later, Officer Manchester comes out of Frank's house. The two bodies have been removed and put into the waiting ambulances.   
  
"Are your keys in the ignition?" Frank asks Gerald as the two come out of Frank's house.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I'll drive you home. Where do you live?"  
  
"Uh, the Mormon Mission Home."  
  
Frank nods and indicates they should go to Gerald's car. Frank gets in the driver's side and starts the car. He looks out the window at the small crowd of neighbors, who begin to disburse. Frank waits until the last neighbor has gone and then drives Gerald home.   
  
(Three hours later...a cell phone rings...)  
"Honey? What happened?"  
  
"A car crashed into the tree."  
  
(a sharp intake of breath) "My god..." (her voice trails off...Frank knows what she wants to hear)  
  
"Two teenagers dead."  
  
"Dead! My god! In our front yard! Frank!" (Lady D's voice is agitated)  
  
"We'll stay in a hotel this weekend."  
  
"Frank, what..." but his voice, soft and calming, interrupts her.  
  
"Darling. I'll tell you later. Just listen to the sound of my voice (Frank is speaking softly and with an even tone). Everything will be all right. I've taken care of the surviving teenager."  
  
"A survivor? My god..."  
  
"He was driving the second car. Darling, I'll tell you about it tomorrow, after you've gotten a good night's sleep."  
  
(Lady D sniffs and blows her nose) "If you say so."  
  
"I do."  
  
"You said that to me on our wedding day."  
  
"I remember. I'm looking at our wedding picture now."  
  
"You're in the den?"  
  
"Yes. I've just been wandering around the house after driving Gerald back to the Mormon Mission Home."  
  
"Gerald's the other teenager?"   
  
"Yes he was. You know, every day I dodge criminals and sometimes I am forced to kill. But tonight? Tonight two teenagers died in our front yard. Drinking? Yes. Using marijuana? Yes. They made a stupid mistake and they died for that mistake. And they died in our front yard."  
  
"Did you break the news to their parents?"  
  
"No. The police did that." (Frank strokes his chin) "But now that you mention it, I believe Chanteuse and Tony's parents will be paying us a visit tomorrow."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"To see the crash site. To leave flowers. Their friends will be doing the same."  
  
"Roadside memorial. That's what happened when the SUV flipped over on the interstate. People left flowers at the crash site."  
  
"They were just teenagers. While they were drinking and driving and while one was smoking marijuana, they were just kids." (A tear slips out of the corner of his eye)  
  
"Those are killer substances."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Do you know who provided the beer to them?"  
  
"Yes. The clerk at the Fast Mart on Oak."  
  
"Paul?"  
  
"Is Paul 23?"  
  
"Hmmmm, if he just graduated college last year, we might be talking about the same man."  
  
"Gerald said the clerk is 23 and used to date Chanteuse."  
  
"Noooooo. I don't think we're talking about the same man. Paul is gay."  
  
"No. Not the same man. The police will talk to the clerk who sold an underage minor alcohol."  
  
"Will he go to jail?"  
  
"The clerk? Probably. The family's attorney might try and get additional charges brought." (Frank smiles.) "You scamp. You got me talking about the crash when I told you I'd tell you about it tomorrow."  
  
"You know you needed to talk about it."  
  
Frank looks down. "You're right. Two teenagers dying in our front yard is quite different from when I take down a criminal. Thank you, sweetheart. Thank you for knowing me."  
  
"I love you. Your new job is tough. Sometimes you need someone to listen to you."  
  
"You're right. I do need someone to listen to me at times."  
  
"You wanna talk about it some more?"  
  
"I'd just like to hear you tell me about our wedding day."  
  
"I was so happy."  
  
"You were so beautiful."  
  
"I'm not beautiful now?"  
  
"You're beautiful every day."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Did you like the music I chose?"  
  
"You know I did. A beautiful choice."  
  
"A beautiful choice for a beautiful lady."  
  
"You're beautiful yourself."  
  
"I'm not handsome?"  
  
"Handsome. Sexy. Intelligent. Romantic. Sensual."  
  
"Beautiful. Sexy. Intelligent. Romantic. Sensuous."  
  
"We're so similar."  
  
"Two parts of a whole."  
  
"I'm glad I married you."  
  
"I'm glad I asked you. We've got two great kids."  
  
"A great family."  
  
"Couldn't ask for better."  
  
(Lady D yawns.)   
  
Frank says, "You're tired."  
  
"Traveling makes me tired. It's past midnight."  
  
"I'll sing you a lullaby."  
  
"You will?"  
  
"For my Lady, yes." Frank starts to sing the lyrics to "Mary Had a Little Lamb"  
  
(Lady D laughs) "You scamp!"  
  
"Scamp again? I'm not lambchop?" he says with mock surprise.  
  
"Hottie?"  
  
"Mmm. Getting closer."  
  
"The beautiful one?"  
  
"Now, now. I do sort of like that nick."  
  
(Lady D yawns again.)  
  
"Love, I shall let you get some shut eye. Dream nice dreams about me."  
  
"I'd rather dream about you while you're next to me. But I'll tell you that I taped a picture of you on the window."  
  
Frank smiles. "I am still looking at our wedding picture."  
  
"I miss you."  
  
"I love you."  
  
"And I love you, beautiful one."  
  
"Love you back, sexy."  
  
"Bye."  
  
"Bye."  
  
(Lady D clicks off the phone.)  
  
Frank brings the phone to his lips and kisses it softly. He puts the phone down and walks through the house. He stops off in each of his children's rooms, and looks at their pictures, touching them lovingly.   
  
Finally, he finds himself outside his house, standing over the spot where two young adults died a few hours earlier. He hears footsteps and a young girl comes out of the shadows carrying a teddy bear.   
  
"Is this where...?" her voice trails off.  
  
Frank looks at her. Her eyes are puffy from crying. He nods and she places the teddy bear next to the maple tree.  
  
"She was my friend. She graduated high school a year early," the girl says, sniffling. She stands there a moment longer, and Frank reaches out to put his hand on her shoulder, but she turns and runs from the scene.   
  
Frank stands at the accident scene a moment longer, then he shakes his head sadly. Tears are running down his face as he stands in the moonlight. He turns and slowly walks into the house and goes in. Turning, he starts to shut the front door, but lingers a moment, looking at the maple tree with the teddy bear propped against the trunk.   
  
Frank wipes his nose with the back of his hand, and shuts the front door.  
  
********************  
(phone rings...Frank snaps awake and sits up suddenly. He reaches over for the phone.)  
  
"Donovan."  
  
"Hello Darling! I'm back from dinner. Did you enjoy your workout?"  
  
"Sweetheart.... (his voice is shaky) I'm so glad you called. Uhm, did I phone you earlier?"  
  
"What's wrong? You sound a bit upset."  
  
"It's nothing. Nothing dear. Stress, I think. Don't worry yourself."  
  
"Did you fall asleep?"  
  
(Frank sits on the edge of the chaise). "Yes I did fall asleep for a while." (he checks his watch). "For about a half hour."  
  
"You have a bad dream?"  
  
"Yes. It wasn't pleasant."  
  
"What was it about?"  
  
"Nothing I can't handle sweetie. Did you enjoy dinner?"  
  
'I would have enjoyed it more had you been there."  
  
Frank smiles. "In the beginning of my dream, you said much the same thing about dinner."  
  
"What else did I say?"  
  
"That you love me."  
  
"That I do."  
  
"As I love you."  
  
"Did the kids call?"  
  
"They said they missed you."  
  
"I miss them as much as I miss you."  
  
"Tell me about what you did after dinner. I know you watched a movie."  
  
(Lady D laughs) "You scamp! You know me don't you?"  
  
"I can read you like a book." (Frank gets up and walks down the length of the third floor master bedroom. He goes to the window overlooking the front yard. He sees the maple tree, intact. There are no skid marks or teddy bears in front of the tree. Softly, he lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding.)  
  
"I like it when you read me and I love the fact you know what I'm thinking and doing," his Lady is saying.   
  
"I know the lady I love," he tells his Lady.   
  
"And I know the man I love. In the movie, there's this mummy that keeps getting resurrected...."  
  
(Lady D's voice is soothing to Frank, and his shoulders visibly relax as he continues to look out the window overlooking the front yard.) 


End file.
